Holiday Shipping Deadlines

Each year we set clear shipping deadlines for you to receive your Cruisin' Creations in time for the holidays. With shipping demand at an all time high, it is even more imperative that we set early, firm deadlines for 2021. Please note:

Custom baskets must be ordered by Nov 10. This includes wood based monogram baskets as well as our family tree/birthstone baskets. Click the links below each photo to view details about each style.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/818099271/monogrammed-pine-needle-basket?ref=shop_home_active_2&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/982898693/design-your-own-birthstone-pine-needle?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1

First Class packages must be ordered by Dec 8. Remember orders over $35.00 ship free!

Priority shipped packages must be ordered by Dec 10. Priority seems to take longer around the holidays so better to be safe than sorry.

Please note: we are no longer shipping internationally. 

All of these dates plan for arrival before December 25. Please adjust accordingly should you need your purchases before December 25.

Upcoming Events

We are excited to be participating in three live events in November! Stop by one or more of these shows to pick up our most recent designs.

Nov 6, 9 am - 2 pm at O'Rourke Middle School, 173 Lakehill Rd, Burnt Hills, NY

Nov 20, 9 am - 3 pm at Colonie High School, 1 Raider Drive, Colonie, NY

Nov 27, 10 am - 4:30 pm at Saratoga City Center, 522 Broadway, Saratoga, NY. There is a $5.00 entrance fee which supports the Saratoga Center for the Family. 

Santa Snacks will also be selling at these three events. You can pick up his 4 flavors of gourmet seasoned pretzels for $5.00 each. Blitzens Bits is a savory blend of garlic and dill. Comets Crunch is a tangy blend of honey and mustard, Prancers Pieces is a sweet blend of cinnamon and sugar, and Rudolphs Red is a slightly spicy blend of southwest flavors. 

Did you know Santa Snacks are for more than snacking? Use them for pie crust, croutons, breading on chicken, fish, and pork, along with many other uses. Stop by to pick up your Santa Snacks and receive your free copy of these tasty recipes. Remember, Santa Snacks make great stocking stufffers!

You have other opportunities to pick up Cruisin' Creations! Stop by:

The Shaker Heritage Society, 25 Meeting House Rd, Albany, NY from Oct 13 - Dec 19. This Holiday Market is open Tues - Sunday from 11 am - 5 pm.

The Schenectady Trading Company, 609 Union St, Schenectady, NY. Open 7 days a week. Stop by Sundays 11 am - 4 pm, Mondays 11 am - 6 pm, Tuesdays & Wednesdays 10 am - 6 pm, Thursdays 10 am - 7 pm, Fridays 10 am - 6 pm, and Saturdays 10 am - 5 pm. 

Can't make it to any of these events? We have a selection of baskets and ornaments in our Etsy shop - cruisincreations.etsy.com

What's New?

New designs are created daily. These are the latest! What do you think?

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Until Next Time...

Diane

Recycling

Because I was brought up in a home with two very resourceful parents, I have always had a problem with throwing away those things that still have some life in them, those things that can be put to good use. I subscribe to my father's motto, "You never know when you might need it." That motto has served me well over the years although I have adjusted the degree to which I follow it. After all, we can't store everything now, can we?

The philosophy of never knowing when you might need something has been applied to Cruisin' Creations as well. Pine needle baskets, keyrings, and ornaments can be made out of a number of things. We repurpose anything that has holes around the outside edge and will work up into a unique, one of a kind piece.

We also subscribe to that philosophy when it comes to boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper, and newpaper. Most boxes arrive at our home fully intact and ready to be used again. Those boxes are broken down and stored for shipping baskets. The same can be said of the enclosed bubble wrap and packing paper. We save all that is serviceable and reuse it when we ship out an order. 

You may have received a package from us with an Amazon arrow on the side of the box, or one with old tape removed. You may have received bubble wrap that wasn't cut straight or had duck tape on it. That's because we are doing our part to reduce waste and keep our shipping costs down.

No only does reusing boxes, bubble wrap, and packing paper save the environment, it also reduces prices. And we all like to pay lower prices for our purchases, don't we?

What's New?

We've been working away at building inventory and believe you will enjoy these new pieces and more that we have to offer. 

Upcoming Events

We are so looking forward to a new event - The LaSalle Institute Fall Fest and Craft Fair on Saturday, Oct 23 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm! Stop by 174 Williams Rd, Troy, NY. Looking forward to seeing you there! PS Santa will be there selling his gourmet seasoned pretzels, too!

Remember you can also shop local at:

The Shaker Heritage Society, 25 Meeting House Rd, Albany, NY Open 11-5 Tuesday - Saturday, 12-5 Sunday.

The Schenectady Trading Company, 609 Union St, Schenectady, NY Open 7 days a week.

Until Next Time...

Diane

 

Repurposing

Repurposing has been all the rage for some time now. Social media is full of photos of how to reuse doors, shutters, outdated furniture, and more. It's so much fun to scan Pinterest, or watch home decorating shows to see the creative ways people turn old into new. We at Cruisin' Creations love the challenge of turning old household items into keepsakes in the form of pine needle baskets, keyrings, and ornaments.

Shopping garage sales, antique stores, and flea markets is a great way to find unique items to repurpose. While that spigot handle may have seen better days or that kitchen tool may not be suitable for use in food any longer, each may work very well as a center for one of Cruisin' Creations baskets. Old necklaces and bracelets are a great source for beads to use as accents and handles as well as using the pendants as centers for our baskets, keyrings, and ornaments. 

To date we've repurposed a number of items including potato mashers, pendants, trivets, drawer pulls, painted trays, and spigot handles. Here are photos of some of these items.

Contact us if you have an item you would like to turn into a family heirloom to be cherished by family members for years to come.

Turn your unusable keepsakes into an heirloom pine needle basket, ornament, or keyring.

Do you have an old kitchen utensil, broach, trivet, drawer pull or other item that you no longer use but can't part with? Does it have holes around the outside edge? Perhaps it would work as a repurposed basket, keyring, or ornament? 

If this is something you would like to do please contact me at dbabin731@gmail.com. Send a photo of the item along with approximate dimensions.  

Until Next Time...

Diane

Announcing A Shop 'Til You Drop Event!

Are you looking for a place to get out and do some serious shopping? We've got you covered! You'll find exactly what you're looking for at the Hamilton County TWIGS craft fair in Speculator, NY on August 12, 2021. Shopaholics will be in Heaven as they shop the 150 handcrafted and food vendors throughout the grounds. This is a juried show so you know all of the offerings are handcrafted by local artisans and are the best quality. Pick up items for gifts or treat yourself to something special. Enjoy lunch at one of the food trucks that will be on site.

Of course, Santa will be there with his Santa Snacks. Santa Snacks are delicious gourmet seasoned pretzels that Santa and the elves make! Did you know that he is introducing a new flavor this year? Stop by to sample and let Santa know if it's a yay or a nay.

Cruisin' Creations will be selling her handcrafted pine needle coiled baskets, keyrings, and ornaments. There are many new styles that will be on display for your viewing pleasure and purchase.

Both Santa Snacks and Cruisin' Creations will be in the pavilion. 

Come on out and support the Hamilton County TWIGS! 

Who are the Hamilton County TWIGS. They are a philanthropic organization that supports the ambulance service in Speculator, Wells, and Piseco. They also fund scholarships for students interested in a career in the medical field and donate to the Oak Mountain Ski Patrol and Speculator Primary Care Center. TWIGS is a acronym for The volunteers Working to Increase funds for the Growing needs and Services of Hamilton County medical personnel.

Where do I go?

We'll see you at the Speculator, NY ball fields at routes 8 & 30 on August 12 from 9 am - 4 pm. They're adjacent to the firehouse and across the street from Lake Pleasant.

Make sure you wear your walking shoes! Also, we recommend that you bring plenty of cash since cell service is spotty in the Adirondacks and vendors' credit card readers may not work.

Here's a preview of Cruisin' Creations offerings!

Until Next Time...

Diane

New Offerings

The first six months of any year are a time for us to build inventory for the upcoming craft show season. This year is no different although I seem to be working slower than normal. Here are a few baskets that will be available for sale at our upcoming events. All have been stitched with colorful nylon thread and sealed with polyurethane. All are beautiful as decorative pieces as well as useful when needed. Use as bread or fruit baskets, as candy dishes, to hold your keys. Sizes and prices vary. 

Click the link under each photo to view more details about each basket and to purchase.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/974549007/blue-and-green-pine-needle-basket?ref=shop_home_feat_1&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/924207726/purple-pine-needle-basket?ref=shop_home_active_20&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/847108549/florida-seashells-in-resin-pine-needle?ref=shop_home_active_14&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/946825395/beach-scene-pine-needle-baskets?ref=shop_home_active_17&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/968464313/blue-butterfly-pine-needle-basket?ref=shop_home_active_8&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/975089409/yellow-and-black-bee-pine-needle-basket?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1&cns=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/975060431/blue-flower-pine-needle-basket?ref=shop_home_active_4&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/938130407/elk-pine-needle-basket-with-handles?ref=shop_home_active_18&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/961232276/wood-slice-pine-needle-basket?ref=shop_home_active_6&frs=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/519583418/seashell-pine-needle-basket?ref=shop_home_active_13&frs=1

Visit our Etsy shop - cruisincreations.etsy.com for details and to view other basket and ornament options.

Upcoming Events

We are looking forward to starting our 2021 craft show season in July at The Northville Woodworkers and Fine Arts Show!

Until Next Time...

Diane

Free Shipping!

 2020 was a year of challenges and a time to try new things. People did more cooking at home including baking bread. Not a bag of flour nor a package of yeast could be found for weeks. We felt like we had won the lottery when we found either. And we all know the toilet paper situation.

Cruisin' Creations tried some new things as well. New basket bases were used, new basket designs were created, and new charms were used in our ornaments.

One thing we tried that was very popular was free shipping. Because of the popularity of our free shipping trial we have decided to offer free shipping on all orders of $35.00 or more in our Etsy shop.

It doesn't matter whether you purchase one basket worth $35.00 or more, or any combination of baskets, basket supplies, ornaments, jewelry display covers, and face masks. If your order totals $35.00 or more it will ship for free.

So do a little virtual shopping in our Etsy shop to pick up: 

~ one of a kind gifts

~ one of a kind items to enhance your decor

~ display covers for your jewelry displays

~ pine needle basket supplies to make your own one of a kind pine needle designs

~ cloth face masks to add to your collection

Where can you find all of these things? cruisincreations.etsy.com 

Check back often as new items are added frequently. 

What's New?

Here are a few new pieces we've been working on!

You'll find these baskets and more at cruisincreations.etsy.com

Santa Snacks Update

As many of you know, Santa sells his delicious gourmet seasoned pretzels at many of the same events that I am at. Over the years you've enjoyed his cinnamon- sugar (Prancer's Pieces), garlic-dill (Blitzen's Bits) and Southwest (Rudolph's Red) pretzels. Did you know that Santa has a new flavor for 2021? He's developed his own version of Honey-Mustard (Comet's Crunch). It is wonderful! Look for Santa at the booth next to Cruisin' Creations at our events.

Upcoming Events

We are working on our events schedule and are hoping to see many of you in 2021. You can keep up with our events schedule by checking the upcoming events section on the right side of our blog.

Current scheduled events are:

July 16 - 18 - Northville Rotary, Northville NY

August 12 - Speculator, NY 

You can also shop local at The Schenectady Trading Company, 609 Union St, Schenectady, NY or visit our website, cruisincreations.etsy.com

Until Next Time ...

Diane

Your Help Supports Those In Need

Each year, Cruisin' Creations selects a local charity to donate a portion of its sales to. In 2020, your purchases helped support The Quest For Grace Foundation. The Quest for Grace Foundation has provided clothing, and other items to foster children in the Capital Region. 

As we begin 2021, we continue to help those in need. This year, we will be donating a portion of our sales to the Albany Housing Coalition, Inc. The Albany Housing Coalition provides housing and supportive services to more than 100 homeless veterans in the Capital District.

 

We wish you and yours a happy, safe and rewarding 2021. We hope to see you soon!

Until Next Time...

Diane